JJ Davis trade
In case you happen to be JJ Davis, or a member of his immediate family, you might be interested to know that you've been traded to the Washington Nationals. Otherwise, you probably don't care nor should you care. (With the Davis and Kendall trades, the Pirates purged 2 former #1 draft picks in the same week.)
In return, the Pirates received minor league outfielder Antonio Sucre. Sucre is not a prospect.
Has it occured to anyone else that ever since moving to Washington, the athletes formerly known as the Expos have been on a fast track to destruction? It's almost as if the mismanagement in Congress is rubbing off. Really, only the people who gave us the $800 billion debt ceiling would also sign Vinny Castilla, Christian Guzman, and trade for JJ Davis.
And just like that, the Kendall era is over
Multiple sources are reporting that Jason Kendall has been traded to the Oakland A's for Pitcher Mark Redman and Reliever Arthur Rhodes.
I've got a bit of mixed emotion over this one. For years, I've been hoping for the day when I'd wake up, grab the paper, and see the headline "Kendall traded." That desire diminished quite a bit this year as the anchor that is Kendall's contract continued to shrink while Kendall's performance improved. For the first time in several years, I was hoping that the Pirates held on to Kendall. So naturally, they finally trade him.
Obviously, the Oakland A's felt as I did, that Kendall finally became marketable as the years remaining on his contract shrunk and his performance improved.
It's impossible to judge this trade yet, as it is not known if any minor leaguers or cash are trading places. Still, Redman and Rhodes are fine players and will contribute nicely to the Pirates next season. How much the Pirates will miss Kendall remains to be seen.
40 man roster finalized
Littlefield did the right thing and designated 4 players for assignment, essentially dropping them from the 40 man roster. The players affected are:
Abraham Nunez
JJ Davis
Tony Alvarez
Carlos Rivera
The Pirates have a short window during which they can field trade offers for these players. I hope nobody is waiting by the phone. If no offers come, the players are then free to pursue options with other teams or to report for whatever minor league assignment the Pirates have waiting.
To fill the empty spaces, Littlefield added the following players to the 40 man in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft:
Brad Eldred, OF
Matt Peterson, P
Jeff Miller, P
Leo Nunez, P
Nate McLouth, OF
Chris Duffy, OF
Rajai Davis, OF
Unlike last season, Littlefield is now carrying a full complement of 40 players on the roster.
